You can’t resolve a problem unless you have the complete information about the, cause, instigator, statements of parties, a third party narrative, and the information from other sources. Only after gathering information from multiple sources, you can design an effective game plan to cater to the problem at hand.

The problems that employees bring to your table might seem troublesome and nerve wrecking, but the root cause of several workplace conflicts stems from common difference in personalities and management styles.

It is important to know the nature of the conflict to formulate an accurate resolution strategy.

Conflicts Arising From Department Interdependence

As various department works on the same tasks, chances of conflicts and negative emotion increases. Each department wants to lead the project their own way and at their convenience. Long hierarchical chains consume more time to get a task completed.

For example, an accountant might get late in closing, if the sales department delays input of inventory figures. This interdependence instigate the blame-game, each department ends up pinning their shortcoming on other departments. All this back and forth of blame creates dispute and keeps the company from achieving its goal.

Solution

Train employees to effectively handle criticism and confrontation.

Delegate skills effectively to save time.

Streamline information flow between departments.

Working Style

People having different personalities may have different style of work. Some people may be task oriented while other may be people oriented. This makes it difficult to navigate among such diverse group as each person would prefer their style over others.

Solution

Educate employees about different working style and train them to voice their opinion in a diverse group.

Different Background and Gender Differences

Mindset and values of employees may differ based on their education, age, culture, gender, and socio-economic background. Employees belonging to low context culture are straight forward and apply liner logic to problem solving. Whereas, employees belonging to high context culture are intuitive and insightful and do not take a direct approach to problem solving. All these differences may create a dispute in workplace.

Solution

Practice workplace inclusion.

Educate employees regarding cultural sensitivity.

Reward them for accepting change.

Eliminate gender bias by developing a conducive

Resistance To Change

Many organizations avoid changes in technology or policies. Resistance from employees also slows down growth and may impact profits. Lack of communication during change management creates ambiguity and uncertainty among the employees that generates conflict and lack of trust within the organization.

Solution

Openly communicate the change with management and employees.

Educate the benefits of change.

Reward change.

Communicate the likely outcomes and results that employees can expect from a process change, downsizing, or management change.

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